Jackson in Action: Running Hard, Running Late

By RICHARD L. BERKE

Published: March 30, 1988

Since his surprising landslide victory in the Michigan caucuses this weekend, the Rev. Jesse Jackson has loomed large on the front pages of newspapers, the news shows of the television networks and the minds of Democratic Party professionals.

Everyone, it seems, wants to talk to Jesse Jackson.

And all this attention is only further confusing the plan-as-you-go Jackson organization, which has won higher marks than his 1984 campaign, but still seems perpetually, and hopelessly, off schedule. Take Monday night. ''Bill Cosby is upset,'' Mr. Jackson's advance man said about 10:30 as he paced nervously outside the ballroom at the Waldorf-Astoria. Arriving to Emptiness

Inside the ballroom were hundreds of people attending an awards dinner for the Jackie Robinson Foundation. Mr. Cosby, the master of ceremonies, had slowed the program to accommodate Mr. Jackson, but to no avail.

When the candidate arrived, shortly before 11 P.M., he was greeted only by an empty ballroom.

Mr. Jackson, it turned out, had been taking his time, briefing reporters, after a debate among Democratic Presidential candidates at the Fordham University campus in the Bronx.

Mr. Jackson's aides and Secret Service agents then escorted him to the hotel suite of Stevie Wonder, the pop music star, causing him to nearly miss a live appearance on ''Nightline,'' the ABC News television program. Support From a Singer

Having missed the Robinson dinner, Mr. Jackson wanted to visit Mr. Wonder at his suite in the hotel. The singer had appeared at the dinner, telling the crowd, ''I want you all to know I support Jesse Jackson.''

But before Mr. Jackson and his entourage could get on the elevator to Mr. Wonder's suite, a staff member from ''Nightline'' appeared, reminding the candidate that he was to be the main guest on the live show in 30 minutes.

Mr. Jackson took the woman aside, explaining that he had commitments and could not make the show. As she pleaded with him to appear, ''Nightline'' staff members were frantically arranging to get Ann F. Lewis, a Jackson adviser, and Fred Barnes, a political columnist and editor at The New Republic, to the Washington studio as substitute guests.

Mr. Jackson agreed to try to make the show, but first he and his entourage squeezed into a 13th floor suite, where he hugged Mr. Wonder for photographers. He also chatted with Rachel Robinson, the widow of Jackie Robinson, and other notables.

It was nearly 11:15, and Mr. Jackson had not left the hotel. Fresh and Composed

''Come on, or we'll miss 'Nightline'!'' a Jackson aide bellowed.

Finally, Mr. Jackson rushed in his police-escorted limousine to the ABC studio, screeching to a halt at 11:25. The show began five minutes later, and Mr. Jackson looked fresh and composed on television.

The reporters following Mr. Jackson were stranded on a bus for an hour at Fordham. They had been told that the ''Nightline'' appearance had been canceled.

Yesterday morning, embarrassed campaign aides attributed the uncertainty to crossed signals among the campaign's local, national and traveling schedulers. Koppel Wasn't There

But an ABC technician said Monday night that there was another explanation. ''He called at 11 and said he didn't want to do it because Ted Koppel wasn't on tonight,'' the technician said. Another correspondent, Brit Hume, was the guest anchor.

After the frantic pace of the day, Mr. Jackson was not content to leave the ABC studios at midnight. First he scanned yesterday's early editions of the newspapers. Then, for nearly a half hour, he gently lectured Jeff Greenfield, an ABC correspondent, and ''Nightline'' aides about the program's portrayal of him.

And he took the opportunity to indirectly criticize his opponents. 'No Record of Service'

''My competitors can talk about what they did in a state, a district, a bill,'' he said. ''But they have almost no record of service to people in crisis. Anyone who would run for this office in the future, having a good resume is wonderful, but if they ain't got some national service credentials, it's going to be tough.''

When Mr. Jackson finally left ABC studios for his hotel, it was close to 1 A.M.

As for the schedule, things did not improve yesterday.

Mr. Jackson, who was supposed to be heading for Washington, kept a planeload of reporters waiting at the Teterboro, N.J., airport for more than two hours. He had scheduled some last-minute events.

The last detour before the airport was at Bill Cosby's Manhattan home, where he visited again with Mr. Wonder. Presumably, he wanted to apologize to Mr. Cosby for missing him at the Jackie Robinson dinner the night before.